Ozempic picks up the Wegovy slack for Novo

Novo Nordisk is still waiting to relaunch its obesity drug Wegovy after supply issues, but in the meantime its type 2 diabetes product Ozempic seems to be making up for any shortfall. The company posted impressive Ozempic sales growth today, amid speculation that demand is being driven by off-label obesity use. While Novo’s chief executive, Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, said during a media call this morning that the company did not promote off-label use, he noted the overlap between type 2 diabetes and obesity, and added that the weight benefit of Ozempic was "becoming a stronger prescription driver” in diabetes. As for the Ozempic shortages, Novo is “ramping up manufacturing” – echoing comments made by Lilly yesterday about its rival diabetes drug Mounjaro. Lilly execs said that around two thirds of patients starting Mounjaro had a history of type 2 diabetes treatment, raising the question of whether the other third had newly diagnosed diabetes or were instead obesity patients. It is clear that there is great demand for effective obesity drugs, so it is all the more important for Novo to stick to its year-end timeline for the full Wegovy launch, reiterated today.